Data is typically stored on computing systems and/or attached storage devices. The data may include operating system data, file system data, and application data. Data may be lost due to system failure or human error. Frequently, a backup copy of data is made to enable a data restore from the backup copy if the primary copy data is lost, corrupted or becomes inconsistent.
In a typical data backup architecture, a backup client obtains data that is to be backed up, and sends the data to a backup server. The backup server then stores the data on a storage device, such as a hard disk drive or tape. The backup client can restore data upon the occurrence of data loss or system failure with a backup copy of the data. When retrieving the backup copy of the data, the backup server obtains the data from the storage device and sends the data to the backup client. The data is returned to a prior satisfactory state upon completion of a successful data restore.
There are several different types of backups that may be performed. A full data backup copies the entire contents of a system. An incremental data backup copies all data updated since the previous incremental backup. A differential data backup copies all data updated since the previous full backup.
Network bandwidth is a measure of available or consumed data communication resources. Bandwidth refers to capacity or maximum throughput of a logical or physical communication path in a communication system. Bandwidth consumption refers to the utilization of the communication path's capacity to communicate data between two nodes.